Solo SBK-1 SB Style DIY Guitar Kit



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|Solo SB Style DIY |

|Electric Guitar Kit |

|Assembly Manual |

|SBK-1 |

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|V 1.02 |

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Thank you for purchasing a Solo DIY guitar kit. This unfinished guitar kit has everything for building an electric bass guitar – you will need only some basic tools and finishing supplies. All challenging wood cutting, drilling and shaping is already professionally done, as well as fret leveling and dressing.

1. CHECKLIST

Before you start working on your DIY guitar project, please check all the parts received in this kit.

2. TOOLS AND MATERIALS NEEDED

You will need the following tools and materials:

1. Sand Paper (180, 240 and 320 grit)

2. Sanding Block

3. Soldering Iron & Solder

4. Masking Tape

5. Finishing Supplies

6. Screwdrivers

7. Power Drill

3. SAFETY MEASURES

Some woodworking skills are required to complete this project. Always be aware of the necessary safety precautions and follow them – be sure to use safety glasses and a dust mask when you are working with any tools. If you are a novice, you should look for help and guidance of a more experienced friend. And never forget that it’s always better safe than sorry.

4. FINISHING THE BODY AND NECK

Before you start finishing the neck, please inspect the frets and the fingerboard. Even though all wood is kiln-dried it may still shrink a little so you may get sharp fret edges.

In this case you need to use a fine needle file (Emory boards for finger nails can be used instead) to remove all sharp edges: first make all fret edges flat with the fretboard edges on both sides, than use masking tape on the top of the fretboard to protect it, and work on each fret’s edge to smooth it by slightly rounding it. Before removing the masking tape, consider polishing the frets with fine steel wool.

STEP 1 – The body and neck have been coated with a poly resin sealant. They need to be sanded before finishing. DO NOT SAND THE FINGERBOARD.

For sanding both neck and body, use a flat sanding block for all flat surfaces and by hand for edges and rounded/curved surfaces. Start with 180 grit sandpaper, continue with 240 and finish with 320, always moving along the grain only. Before the final sanding, wipe the wood with a damp cloth and let it dry to raise the wood grain.

STEP 2 – There are many different ways to apply finish to your guitar. Do a little research to decide which type of finish you want to use. One good starting point is to review tutorials at the Project Guitar website:

STEP 3 - For any type of spraying finish (lacquer or paint) you will need to mask three areas with masking tape: neck pocket on the body, neck’s fingerboard and truss rod nut. Press the tape tightly to the wood, not allowing any gaps at the edges, to completely prevent the finish leaking to these areas.

STEP 4 - You will also need to make hangers for both the body and neck (if you want to apply any spraying finish). Make them from a strong metal wire (wire dress/coat hanger can be used for it).

STEP 5 – Apply the finish by following the manufacturer instructions. Remember that spraying the finish is not an easy process as it requires certain skill and experience – you might want to practice first on some scrap wood. Always remember your safety – work only in a well ventilated area, away from any open fire and wear a respirator mask and safety glasses.

STEP 6 – Final polishing for high gloss finishes can be done manually or using a power drill with a foam polishing pad. The finishing tools and materials are readily available in many automotive/hardware supplies stores.

TIP: Consider an oil rubbed finish (sometimes called “wipe-on oil finish”) as a good and safe alternative. Tru-Oil® (known as a “Gun Stock Finish”, based on Linseed Oil) or Waterlox® (Processed Tung Oil) is highly recommended. Oil finishing takes longer, but it is very safe and easy to apply and a high quality finish can be achieved, even by a novice.

5. ASSEMBLY

Notes: The SBK-1 is a unique headless guitar design with a complex but functional bridge. As much as the assembly is fairly easy and straight forward, extra care must be taken in setting up this special instrument! This guitar is a set neck, which means the neck will be glued in. You have the choice of taping of the gluing surfaces and finishing the guitar/neck separately, or you can assemble the guitar/neck before you do the finishing on the guitar.

STEP 1 – Installing the Neck. The SBK-1 is a set-neck guitar, which means the neck will be glued in rather than screwed onto the body. 'Dry fit' the neck, which means to install the neck into its proper position, but without adding any adhesives. Because the neck and body have been sealed, you should mark the areas to be glued and give them a reasonable sanding, so that the glue can bond properly. 'Dry fit' the neck again, and this time take two straight edged rulers and make sure the neck aligns with the pickup cavities and the bridge cavity. If there is an adjustment required, you may want to make a couple reference marks so you can align the neck properly during the final assembly. You should make a pair of gluing cauls to ensure the clamps will not damage the guitar or frets. Two pieces of flat soft wood will do the job, and if you can't slot to the top caul to avoid putting pressure on the frets, use a piece of closed cell foam in between the caul and the frets. When you are satisfied that the neck will bond properly, is seated properly and aligned, apply a thin coating of carpenters adhesive to both surfaces to be glued, assemble the neck and body and apply moderate clamping pressure with both cauls in place. Double check that the neck is firmly seated on the bottom of the neck pocket, and that the neck is aligned to the marks you made earlier. Increase the pressure of the clamp, and remove all excess glue with a damp cloth, ensuring all traces of glue are cleaned up. Leave the guitar and neck in the clamp for at least 24 hours to ensure the neck doesn't move and that the glue can cure properly.

STEP 2 – Electronics. Install the two humbucker pickups by routing the wire through the pre-drilled holes and into the control cavity, and then aligning the pickups with the neck using two rulers. Aligning the neck will ensure the strings will be in the correct position over the pickups. Align first the neck pickup and then the bridge, and when you are satisfied, mark the four holes on each pickup surround, pre-drill and install with the supplied screws.

Install the volume and tone pots as well as the 3-way switch to the body using the supplied washers and hex-nuts.

Refer to the wiring diagram at the back of this manual, and proceed to solder all connections as per the diagram.

Make sure you are in a ventilated area with good lighting. If you are unsure of this process, contact an experienced friend or professional to assist you. Insert the bridge ground wire through the hole in the bridge cavity, and solder to the appropriate connection. Finally, direct the output wires through the output jack opening and solder to the jack as per the diagram. You may want to double check your soldering now before moving on, and ensure all connections, pots and switches are working. Install the jack to the end of the guitar body with the supplied plate and 2 screws.

STEP 3 – Installing the Bridge. The locking trem bridge supplied with this kit is in two pieces, and has to be taken apart for installation. Loosen the large single thumb screw at the end of the bridge, pull back on the upper section and pull up. This should pop the support stem out of the spring channel and allow you to install the lower unit. Before screwing the lower unit in place, scrape some of the black paint away from the bottom where the ground wire has been installed on the body....this will ensure proper contact. Install the lower unit using the 4 supplied screws. Pull the spring up towards the front of the bridge and insert the upper section support stem back in place. Pull the upper unit back and ensure that the upper unit is resting properly on the two support posts (there are bladed rings that fit into the channeled posts). At the back of the lower unit, there is a trigger mechanism that either locks or unlocks the trem mechanism...make sure this trigger assembly works correctly and easily.

STEP 4 – If you are satisfied with your electronics, you may install the control cavity cover with the supplies screws. You may install the strap pins as well in the prescribed holes with the supplies screws, and finally, install the pot knobs and switch knob.

STEP 5 – Installing the Strings. By turning the 6 small thumb screws at the back of the bridge in a counter-clockwise fashion, you will see a small receiver extend from below the surface of the bridge. Continue to turn the screw until there is enough of the receiver showing that you can insert the ball end of the string. Loosen all 6 of the thumb-screws and insert all 6 strings (ball ends) and then turn the thumb-screws in a clockwise fashion until the ball ends are safely under the top of the bridge. At the end of the headstock, loosen the 3 locking nut hold-downs and insert the plain ends of each pair of strings. You may want to hold the strings tight with pliers or vice-grips while you tighten the hold-downs with the supplied allen key. Do this for each pair of strings. You may now go back to the bridge and turn each of the 6 small thumb-screws in a clockwise fashion in order to bring the strings up to pitch. When setting up the locking trem bridge, lock the bridge first. Set the string heights of all strings by using the supplied allen key in each of the saddles. When you are satisfied, adjust the intonation by pushing each saddle forwards or backwards....there are no threaded adjustments, so be careful, and make very small adjustments. Finally, set the tension of the trem using the large thumb-wheel adjustment knob at the back of the bridge. Loosening this screw will allow the trem to float more easily, and tightening this screw will make the trem nore difficult to use, but will also be more stable as far as tuning. Install the trem arm in either the upper or lower push-lock opening and you are ready to rock! Refer to the regular section on 'Guitar Set-Up' for a more in-depth description of guitar set-up. This brief description applies only to the locking trem bridge.

6. TUNING AND SETUP

The art of 'setting up a guitar' is one that can take years before you become truly skilled. The really good tech's make a guitar setup look easy...a little tweak here or there and the guitar plays and sounds so much better than it did before. Basic guitar setup however, is something that can be relatively easy to learn, and to put in practice. It is a balance of several different physical properties that can either work together or can completely ruin the playability or sound of a guitar. We have broken down the process into 4 sections to simplify things....

Adjusting Strings Height:

The string height is ruled by 3 physical adjustments. First, the nut at the headstock of the guitar must be properly slotted for height and string gauge. The nut supplied with this kit has been slotted for medium gauge strings and should be acceptable as far as the height of the string over the 1st fret. Second is the height of the bridge and/or saddles (depending on what style of bridge is supplied with the kit). Since the fret-board has a radius on top, you must be sure to reflect that radius in the string height...in other words, when the string height is adjusted, the strings should have the same radius as the neck. The third adjustment is the 'Neck Relief' and you will be referring back to the section 'Adjusting Neck Relief' during this part of the set-up. Using the supplied allen key for the saddle screws, you can raise or lower the strings at the bridge....remember, the lower the action the easier the guitar will play, but the more prone to the strings buzzing on the frets! The higher the strings, the harder the guitar is to play, but you eliminate the fret buzz.

For the 1st string (the thinnest one) adjust the height using the saddle for that string, so there is a 0.063" - 0.078" gap (1.6 - 2 mm) between the string and the 12fth fret. This should create a gap of about 0.01" - 0.016" (0.25 - 0.4 mm) between the string and the 1st fret (this is a very small gap so you may want to use feeler gauges for this measurement).

For the 6th string (the thick one), adjust the gap between the string and the 12fth fret to 0.078" - .01" (2 - 2.5 mm) and you should find yourself 0.016" - 0.024" (0.4 - 06 mm) between the string and the 1st fret. Adjust the height of the remaining 4 strings so they create the same radius as the fret-board (you may want to make a cardboard radius template to assist in these adjustments....resting the template on the two outside strings will allow you to adjust the inner 4 to the face of the template).

You may have to go back and forth between String Height and Neck Relief until you come to the perfect union the first time you set up the guitar!

Adjusting Neck Relief:

Neck relief is the amount of bend in the neck to allow for proper string vibration. The physical properties involved here are the strings pulling the headstock forward (toward the front of the guitar), the thickness of the strings (heavier gauges obviously have more tension and will pull the headstock forward more forcibly), and string height (a combination of how the nut is cut and how high the bridge and or saddles are adjusted). Because of the relationship between string height and neck relief, you may have to go back and forth between adjusting the neck relief and adjusting the string height a couple times.

Your Solo Guitar neck has a built in truss rod which counter-acts the forward pull of the strings...in other words, when you tighten your truss rod, you straighten the neck, or pull the headstock toward the back of the guitar. You will have to make truss rod adjustments usually when setting up the guitar for the first time, and then in spring and fall when there are major humidity changes in the weather (remember, humidity affects the wood of the guitar neck, either swelling or shrinking it).

String up the guitar as normal with your chosen gauge of strings....make sure the strings sit properly in the nut slots at the headstock of the neck, and that the strings are brought to tension (tune the guitar). The strings should sit easily in the nut slots, not be loose, and especially not sit on top of the slot ( if either the slots are too loose or too small, you will want to consult an expert to either fill or file out the slots). Now, take a couple minutes and refer to 'Adjusting String Height' to ensure the bridge and/or saddles are correctly adjusted. Place a capo at the first fret and press down on the 16th fret....now place a straight edge (which is at least 12"/30cm long) on top of the frets between the capo and the 16th fret and measure the gap between the ruler and the 8th fret. Use the 6th (heaviest) string to measure. Optimally, you will look for a gap of .001” - .002" 0.25 - 0.5 mm) but slightly more could still be acceptable. By turning the truss rod screw with the supplied allen key clockwise, you will reduce the gap, and by turning counter-clockwise you will increase the gap. Never turn the truss rod screw more than 1/4 turn at a time! Now return to the 'Adjusting String Height' section and re-adjust your string height so you have nice low action on the strings without buzzing on the frets! If you do have 'string or fret buzz', you will either have to increase the neck relief slightly, or increase you string height.

Adjusting Intonation:

There are several factors that come into play when setting the intonation on your guitar. For this kit, we will adjust to the basics and leave you to research the rest for yourself. Essentially, each string played open, should have exactly the same pitch as that string fretted on the 12fth fret (the 12fth fret is the halfway point between the nut and the saddle). You will want to use your guitar tuner for this adjustment.....play each string open and adjust them to their prescribed notes (E,A,D,G,B,E thickest to thinnest or 6th - 1st). Now play each string while you fret at the 12fth fret and adjust each saddle toward the 12fth fret or away until the fretted note matches the open note. If the fretted note is sharp, you must move the saddle away from the neck.....if the fretted note is flat, you must move the saddle closer. Intonating your guitar properly will help to ensure that it plays in tune up and down the neck, and that chords sound correct.

Adjusting Pickup Height:

The final step in your guitar set-up is setting the pickup height. Pickups work on a magnetic field that is affected by the vibration of each string. You can be too close to the strings and you can also be too far away from the strings with the pickup....too close will create 'ghost tones' that will make tuning your guitar difficult and will also affect the sound of your guitar in a negative way. Adjusting the pickups too far away reduces the effect of the magnetic field and therefore reduces the output of the pickup....so the guitar will sound quieter and have less dynamics.

You will find one or both of two types of pickups in your kit....either single coil or humbucker. Because humbuckers use opposing magnets, they can be adjusted much closer to the strings than single coils can... Set your volume on full for each pickup and the tone control at halfway...plug your guitar into an amplifier and start adjusting the pickup height closer and away from the body while you play each string or strum.....you should notice an obvious difference in volume and tone by doing so. Adjust each pickup to where it sounds best. There is no universal rule for pickup height because it relies on string height, string gauge, pickup type, magnet type etc...So by experimenting, you will find an adjustment that provides the best sound.

SBK-1 Wiring Diagram

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